The Persistence of James Potter
by HeyMrsPotter
Summary: Lily Evans would one day be James Potter's girlfriend. He just knew it.
1. June 18th 1976

"Evans! Hey, EVANS!"

Lily ignored James Potter's shouts, and continued to storm away from the scene at the lake. Who did he think he was? Did he think she would be impressed by him hanging Sev up by the ankles? Then he'd had the audacity to try defend her when Sev-

She sighed heavily, and flung open the door to the castle. The tears in her eyes threatened to spill over, and the lump in her throat burned, but she refused to cry. The breakdown of her friendship with Severus had been a long time coming; she had been telling him for months that he was getting in with a bad crowd, and it was causing a rift between them. Still, she had never expected he would call her…

Lily stomped up the stairs to Gryffindor tower, half-yelling the password at the Fat Lady. She was relieved to find her room empty when she reached it; most of the students were outside enjoying the sunshine before dinner. She flung herself onto her bed, and grabbed her potions textbook from her bedside table where she had left it the night before. She had barely read a word before she slammed it shut and threw it to the end of her bed where it landed with a soft thud. Potions was her and Sev's passion; they would always work together in the OWL class, and complete homework together in the library. The book served as a reminder that they were no longer friends.

"EVAAAANS!" a voice seeming to come from downstairs startled her.

"EVANS IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN AND TALK TO ME I'M GOING TO STAY HERE AND YELL AT YOU ALL NIGHT!"

It was James Potter.

Knowing that he was true to his word, Lily got off the bed and made her way down the stairs, mumbling all the way about 'James bloody Potter'.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he was sat cross-legged on the floor. Upon seeing Lily, he scrambled clumsily to his feet.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily said, folding her arms across her chest.

"I want to say sorry. I was a prat back there to Sniv-er, Snape, and even though he was a total arse to you, I realise that I you are an independent young woman and…" he paused, and pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket that was covered in a messy scrawl. Lily read the words 'arse' and 'independent woman' before he shoved it back in his pocket. "…and I shouldn't have tried to defend you."

Usually, Lily would argue with him, but she was too emotionally drained from her fight with Sev. "Whatever, Potter. Is that all you wanted to say?"

"You're not going to call me an arrogant prat?" he asked, surprised.

"Not this time. Can I go?"

Lily made her way back up the stairs, not even reacting at hearing Potter faintly say to himself, "she _definitely_ fancies me."


	2. November 3rd 1976

Lily and Alice were walking to potions when the singing started.

"I hope my healing potion turns out okay," Lily said nervously. "I think I put too much dittany in it…"

"It'll be fine, Lil," Alice replied with a kind smile and a gentle squeeze of Lily's arm. "Your potions are always perfect, that's why you're the favourite member of the Slug Club."

Lily gave her a teasing nudge, but couldn't help feeling reassured by her words. It was then that they heard the singing.

"I've got a cauldron full of hot, strong love that's about to be unfurled, Got a flavour that beats anything you'll find in the Muggle woooooooooorld!"

Lily had heard the famous Celestina Warbeck song before, and although the lyrics were the same, the wailing voice that sang them seemed to have absolutely no concept of the original tune. She looked around to see if she could find out where the caterwauling was coming from. It didn't take long.

James Potter was stood on a spindly chair, presumably stolen from a nearby classroom, right in the middle of the corridor up ahead. Sirius, Peter, and Remus were crowded around him, whooping and applauding his tuneless singing.

"Mix a pinch of spice with a dash of charm, and a sprinkling of romance. They're why my cauldron full of hot, strong love, is worth it…" He spotted Lily and grinned widely, before throwing out his arms to gesture to her and practically yelling the last line of his song, "Lily take the chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!"

Students already in their classes stuck their heads out of the doors, and those already in the corridor turned to face Lily and began laughing and clapping. She pointedly ignored them and stomped her way over to James. Remus, Peter and Sirius quickly took several steps backwards out of her way.

"James Potter get your arse down from that chair right now," Lily said through gritted teeth. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into the palm of her hand.

James jumped down from the chair and landed neatly in front of Lily, too close for her liking.

"Like my singing, Evans?" he said with a grin.

"I prefer the original," Lily snapped back. James' grin faded slightly.

"But you still find me devilishly handsome, right?"

"Right now, Potter, a mountain troll is more attractive to me. And if you thought I would be impressed by that spectacle, then a mountain troll has more brains than you. If you _ever_ embarrass me like that again, I will hex you into next week. Understand?"

"Loud and clear," James said with a mock salute. "Just one question though?"

Lily sighed. "What?"

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

"Urgh!" Lily huffed, spun on her heel, and stomped down the corridor towards the dungeons. James Potter was going to need her healing potion if he even _looked_ at her again.

 **A/N- the song lyrics in this chapter are from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, chapter 16 and belong to JK Rowling.**


	3. February 15th 1977

Lily had woken up in a bad mood. She stomped around the dormitory with no regard for her sleeping roommates, taking books from her trunk and throwing them into the bag on her unmade bed.

Alice started to stir. She rolled over, grabbed her watch from the bedside table, looked at it then let out a groan.

"Lils, I love you but it's six in the morning and if you carry on making such a racket I'm going to hex you," she mumbled into her pillow, which was covering her face.

Lily continued to fight with her school supplies as she spoke. "Sorry Alice, but the stupid rain woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep and now," she said through gritted teeth, "I can't get my stupid books to fit into my stupid bag."

Alice threw the pillow to the end of her four poster; knowing that Lily's tantrum wasn't going to stop. "Does your bad mood have anything to do with your lack of attention from a certain boy yesterday?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Third year, James tricked you into going to Madame Puddifoot's where he had cover the whole place in pictures of you both in love hearts. Fourth year, a hundred boxes of chocolates delivered to you by a hundred owls. Last year, he charmed your quills to write 'I love JP' instead of your class notes. This year, nothing. It's bothering you, I can tell. You're starting to fancy him…"

"Alice Frink, have you lost your mind? James Potter is an arrogant toe-rag and I cannot believe you would suggest I'd even _tolerate_ him, never mind anything else!"

Lily marched out of the dorm room, Alice's words ringing in her ears. She slid neatly down the slide and stood up at the bottom only to bump directly into none other than James Potter. Around his feet were three vases full of beautiful roses, which had been bewitched to change colour every few seconds. He held a fourth bunch in his hands, which he handed over to her once she regained her balance.

"Happy Valentines' Day, Evans! A bunch for every year that you've held my heart."

"Valentine's Day was yesterday, you nitwit," Lily quipped.

"Yes, Evans, but that's where my gesture is so genius, don't you see?"

Lily raised an eyebrow to indicate that she did not.

"The last three years I've sent you something on Valentines' Day, a very one-sided tradition I might add. So this year you would have probably been expecting something from me, am I right?"

"Annoyingly, yes."

"Then my plan worked. You spent the most romantic day of the year thinking about me!"

For a moment Lily let her guard down. She began to chuckle, and then the chuckle turned to a laugh. Soon she couldn't stop, and there were tears in her eyes. Years later, Lily would still maintain that she'd been secretly hit with a cheering charm, but in that moment she found that James Potter was _funny._

James, on the other hand, was baffled. In all of his many interactions with Lily Evans, he had never once made her laugh. _'This,'_ he thought, _'was progress.'_

 **A/N Okay, this is the first thing I've written in over a year, so if you think it's terrible, please go easy on me! ;)**


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